bloggoals

I am very much in denial that 2016 is over and a new year is here. 2016 was an incredible year for me, and I am happy to say it was one of my best years so far. I want to share some highlights from this year before sharing what my 2017 goals are.

Highlights from 2016:

1| Graduating with my Master’s Degree at 21: I am extremely proud of myself for this because there were a lot of people who doubted this could be done when I first began school. Four years later, I graduated with my M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communications, my B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication and a minor in Spanish. This was a huge accomplishment for me, and was definitely my best moment of 2016.

2| Being more spontaneous: This was a huge goal of mine throughout 2016 because as you can imagine, I thrive off of planning every little detail. I wanted to remind myself that it’s okay to not always have a plan. Sometimes, the best memories are created when you don’t plan much at all. So, I took some trips: one to Albany in March to visit one of my best friends from college, and another trip in May to visit my other best friend from college in Texas. Both trips were amazing and got my travel bug in full swing, which caused me to book a trip to Boston for April 2017!

3| Getting my first job: Can we just say that 2016 was the year that I became a full-blown adult? I got my first full-time job in the marketing field, and I am in love with my job. There’s nothing more wonderful than knowing I get to wake up every day and go to a job I truly love. I know many people are stuck in a job they hate, and I am blessed to be in a position I love.

4| Moving out of state and buying my first place with Josh: I didn’t move too far away from home; but I did move from NY to PA back in April when I got my job. After over two years of being long distance, Josh and I got our first place together, and we couldn’t be happier! We love our home, and we love that we were able to make our relationship a priority and bring our lives together.

5| Putting my health first: 2016 was the year that I got back on track as far as my overall health. From all the stress of finishing my Master’s brought on poor eating, lack of exercise, and other unhealthy habits. Once I moved to PA, Josh and I got in the habit of running three miles two or three times a week, eating healthy, and taking more time for self care. I feel great, and hope to keep this up for 2017, too!

Goals for 2017:

Personal Goals:

1| Read (8-10 books throughout 2017)

I did not do well in the reading category for 2016, so I’m hoping to turn this around for 2017. I created a huge wish list of books for Christmas, so I’m hoping I’ll be gifted some content to achieve this goal!

2| Plan 2-3 trips for 2017

We do have our trip to Boston scheduled, so I’m definitely looking forward to that. I’m hoping to plan another trip to Pittsburgh and potentially a third trip in 2017 as well. You could say I definitely have the travel bug.

3| Achieve my career goals for 2017

In my mind, I have so many different career-oriented goals for 2017 that I want to accomplish. Although I know work-related goals should be its own category, I’m listed it under personal because there are too many topics to cover for this section!

4| Focus on my vision board

I’ve been working on my vision board A TON recently. If you’d like to see a blog post on my vision board and how I created mine, make sure to leave a comment below!

Blogging Goals:

1| Focus on my blog direction

I’ve been thinking a lot about the direction I want Blissfully Brunette to go in. And while you can expect an entire post on it, I want to at least let you know there might be some changes coming to the blog for 2017.

2| Increase blog social media engagement by 20 percent

I know so many people who focus on specific stats and numbers. For me, it’s not just about numbers. I care a lot about engagement, interaction and genuine connections via social media.

3| Take more risks

Sometimes, anxiety can hold me back, but I don’t want it to hold my blog back from its full potential. 2017 will be the year that I take more risks and try new things here on the blog.

Financial Goals:

1| Put an extra $8-10,000 into savings

This is a huge goal of mine. I’ve created an in-depth plan on how I plan to achieve it. Let’s just say it’s going to take a ton of spending freezes (I’m starting one for the first quarter) I’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date on this goal, too!

2| Track my spending regularly

I mentioned that Josh keeps a very specific excel sheet on what he spends every. single. day. I admire his commitment because I see that he’s able to achieve his savings goals, so I’m hoping to adopt this and do the same!

Health Goals:

1| Increase my weekly running distance

We aren’t currently in running season, but we are still training all winter long for when running season does pick up again. My goal is to increase my weekly running distance to 10 miles.

2| Don’t focus on numbers

I don’t want my weight or size in general to affect my overall happiness and perception of my heath and fitness endeavors. I feel like numbers takes a negative toll on your mental health, so I don’t want this to take priority for me.

3| Focus on workouts I enjoy

I spent a lot of time when I was younger doing workouts that I didn’t enjoy. Let me tell you that you shouldn’t spend time doing A N Y T H I N G you don’t enjoy. Find something you love and enjoy, and practice it daily!

I hope you enjoyed reading my goals for 2017. How did you do on your goals for 2016? What are some of your goals for 2017? Make sure to leave a comment below!

About the Blogger

I believe it's important to find your bliss in life. You should do what makes your soul happy. I created this blog to bring a little bliss to your life with posts on beauty, fashion and life. Feel free to email me: theblissfullybrunetteblog@gmail.com